Pak Navy to acquire four Turkish ships

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy has signed a contract for acquisition of 4x MILGEM Class Ships with M/s ASFAT AS, Turkey, which is a military factory and shipyard company under the Ministry of National Defence, Turkey, here at the Ministry of Defence Production on Thursday.

The contract also includes complete transfer of technology and the transfer of intellectual proprietary rights for the design of these ships to Pakistan. The first two ships will be built at Istanbul Naval Shipyard while two ships will be constructed at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW).

A noteworthy feature of the contract is that the 4th warship will be designed jointly by Pakistan’s Maritime Technologies Complex (MTC) and will be the first endogenously designed & constructed frigate. The construction of 3rd and 4th ship at KS&EW will not only enhance the industrial production confidence and the ships construction potential but also contribute towards national economy, creating new jobs and development of highly skilled human resource of the Karachi Shipyard. The MILGEM Class Ships contract will go a long way in fostering Pak-Turkey strategic relations.